Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE
The New York Knicks have had a very, shall we say, interesting off-season. Some Knicks fans might be wondering if management is stuck in a time warp with the amount of aging veterans the Knicks have brought in while they allowed a young point guard in Jeremy Lin to walk away.
This off-season was supposed to be one of hope for the Knicks. With Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, the Knicks had two superstars that, when healthy, could lead the Knicks deep into the playoffs and had Knicks fans dreaming of a championship.
It might turn out that dreams are all that Knicks fans will get out of this. The front office, led by GM Glen Grunwald, seems to be perpetually stuck in the previous decade. Jason Kidd was brought in to be a backup point guard to what many Knicks fans hoped would be Lin. Lin, however, was allowed to walk and was replaced by former Knick Raymond Felton.
Then, not be outdone, the Knicks signed Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas, two relics left over from the previous time the Knicks were close to relevant. Now, there are reports they are adding Rasheed Wallace who didn’t even play in the NBA last season and will probably be more effective for opposing teams as he collects more personal fouls than points and rebounds.
On paper, the Knicks have what appears to be a stunning collection of players. Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, Stoudemire, Anthony, Wallace, Camby, Thomas, J.R. Smith. The problem is when one looks over at their ages.
Kidd is 39. Thomas is 39. Camby is 38. Wallace is 38. Stoudemire has a long injury history and if he goes down, who is playing significant minutes at power forward? Thomas? Wallace? Camby? Can any of those guys be counted on for 30 minutes a night at their age?
I just don’t understand what the Knicks are trying to do. The best case scenario is this team can stay healthy enough to make a run in the playoffs but I don’t think this team is capable of winning it all. What about beyond this season? Are they going to bring any of these then-40-year-old players back? Where is the long-term goal for this team?
Perhaps the greater question should be, does this team even know what a long-term goal is? Someone might want to call Isaiah Thomas and see if he knows. At this point, any interest the Knicks might have in Thomas might be in bringing him on board as a player with the way the Knicks have performed this off-season.
Is the NBA offering incentives for hiring AARP-eligible players? Is there some sort of program that is being run that gives teams financial incentives to keep aging players employed? Perhaps the Knicks are only hiring part-time players in hope to avoid going over the threshold for the new Affordable Care Act that takes effect in January?
Someone please tell me what the Knicks are doing.
